Renowned game director Hideo Kojima has expressed significant concerns regarding the future of digital ownership, echoing fears that individuals may eventually lose the ability to truly own digital data. In a social media post, Kojima articulated that access to beloved digital art, including games, could be suddenly revoked due to unforeseen global or societal changes.

"Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative," Kojima stated. "Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off."

This sentiment highlights a long-standing debate surrounding consumer protection in the digital age. Groups like "Stop Killing Games" have actively campaigned for better regulations, particularly concerning the long-term accessibility of video games. However, their recent efforts to introduce rule changes before the European Commission were unsuccessful. The Commission indicated that it could not mandate that video games remain playable after their commercial discontinuation, citing existing intellectual property rights held by rights holders under EU copyright law.

Players are increasingly worried that the shift away from physical media leaves their digital libraries vulnerable. Kojima elaborated on this fear, suggesting that "We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That's what I'm afraid of. This is not greed."

The issue of game preservation is further complicated by the increasing trend of online-only games or titles that lose support and become unplayable. Amazon's cancellation of the MMO New World, despite its initial player peaks, and the eventual winding down of live-service games like Destiny 2, serve as recent examples of titles that may become inaccessible to their dedicated fanbases. While Destiny 2's servers remain active, the cessation of updates means the game will inevitably degrade due to factors like cheating and matchmaking issues.

Sony's recent announcement regarding PlayStation's transition to a fully digital future by 2028 exacerbates these uncertainties, removing the option for physical game purchases. This trend towards digital-only ecosystems, coupled with the current lack of robust legal frameworks for digital preservation, leads some, like the Video Game History Foundation, to suggest that piracy may become the only recourse for true ownership and preservation of video games.